Philippines-Australia
DISCLAIMER: PURELY FICTIONAL, NOT MEANT TO OFFEND. Philippines-Australia (PHAU), officially known as the Asian-Pacific Lands of the Republic of the Philippines and the Commonwealth of Australia '(Filipino: ''Lupang Asya-Pasipiko ng Republika ng Pilipinas at ang Komonwelt ng Australya), is a fictional constitutional union of the Republic of the Philippines and the Commonwealth of Australia that originated in the Honor and Glory series. It was formed by a new constitution granted to the World War III victor, the Philippines, which devolved powers placed it and Australia on equal footing. Philippines-Australia's main capital is Pearl, with Manila as the Philippine sector's capital, Canberra as the capital of the Australian sector, and Jakarta as the capital of the Indonesian territory. The country's other major metropolitan areas are Quezon City, Pasay City, Mandaluyong, Davao, Tacloban, Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, and Adelaide. Philippines-Australia was conceived as an idealized Asia-Pacific version of Austria-Hungary, consisting of two countries (Philippines and Australia), and several states (Taiwan, Palau, most of Indonesia). The union is currently a puppet state of the Magnum Opus People's Republic of Utopia, albeit being as economically and influentially powerful as its lord. Foreign affairs and the military came under joint oversight, but all other governmental faculties were divided between respective states. Philippines-Australia is a multinational state and currently one of Asia's major powers. The union is also the world's largest shipping and trade hub, as well as the world leader in exporting rice and home appliances. The country is also one of the highest-ranked nations in quality of life, health, education, economic freedom, civil liberties and political rights, with most of its major cities faring extremely well in global comparative livability surveys. Philippines-Australia is a member of the United Nations, G20, Commonwealth of Nations, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, World Trade Organization, Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation and the ASEAN Plus Six mechanism. Philippines-Australia has been widely considered to be a world superpower along with the United States. Name The Philippines was named in honor of King Philip II of Spain. Spanish explorer Ruy López de Villalobos, during his expedition in 1542, named the islands of Leyte and Samar Felipinas after the then-Prince of Asturias. Eventually the name Las Islas Filipinas would be used to cover all the islands of the archipelago. Before that became commonplace, other names such as Islas del Poniente (Islands of the West) and Magellan's name for the islands, San Lázaro, were also used by the Spanish to refer to the islands. On the other hand, the name Australia is derived from the Latin Terra Australis (meaning "Southern Land"), a name used for a hypothetical continent in the Southern Hemisphere since ancient times. When Europeans first began visiting and mapping Australia in the 17th century, the name Terra Australis was naturally applied to the new territories. By the time the union of Philippines-Australia was formed, Philippines' territory geographically sits in Asia, while Australia's territory is geographically located in Oceania. History It was originally thought that a union between Philippines and Australia was practically impossible because Philippines and Australia are two very different sovereign entities, with both countries having different currencies and central government structures. Those doubts didn't stop Australia and Philippines from signing a military defense treaty in Canberra prior to World War 3. During World War 3, China quickly invaded and conquered most of Southeast Asia, and even occupying Indonesia. Although having thought to be virtually impossible to invade, China managed to land on the northwestern area of Australia, prompting Australia to oust their current prime minister and had him replaced by a tougher prime minister. Meanwhile, the Philippines was still in the middle of becoming a fully-developed country, with massive reforms shaping in the country to bring the people out of poverty and debt from past corruption. The rapid growth of the Philippines meant a better military, and the current president was eager to set out the military to defend the islands. Because they signed a defensive pact with Australia, they offered military assistance to help Australia drive the occupying Chinese from the northern portion of Western Australia. After a military operation which Australia and Philippines retook the lost Australian territory from the invaders, China then declared war on the Philippines. The military leaders of China were eager to make quick work of the Philippines, thus sending the majority of their air force and navy to attack the Philippines. Australian intelligence reported the attack to Manila, and the Philippines quickly readied their military to defend the country. When the Philippines asked Australia for assistance in the defense of the Philippine mainland, Australia agreed, but wasn't able to send immediate military assistance due to the Royal Australian Army being unprepared that day. Despite not receiving help from Australia in time, the Filipinos fought hard, and actually won in a near-wipeout victory for the Filipinos, a victory Australia's leaders looked on with utter amazement (and envy). With full Australian support, and help from ally Japan, Philippines helped the allies push China all the way back, prompting China's surrender. During the peace conference, the victorious Filipinos and Australians agreed to occupy the war-torn country of Indonesia until the country was returned to its pre-war state. However, a referendum was later held in Indonesia, and most Indonesians voted in favour of Philippine-Australia rule, and they were subsequently annexed by Philippines and Australia. Following the annexation of Indonesia, the president and vice-president of the Philippines met with the Australian prime minister in a meeting held in Manila, and both leaders were in favour of a union between Philippines and Australia, taking to consideration how cohesively well the Filipinos and Australians performed in World War 3. Politics Government Philippines-Australia is governed under a federal constitutional monarchy. There are three parts to the rule of Philippines-Australia: # the common foreign, military, and a joint financial policy # the Australian government # the Philippine government Philippines and Australia maintained separate parliaments, with linking/co-ordinating the two parliaments falling to a government under the monarch. Foreign Policy The minister of foreign affairs conducted the foreign relations of Philippines-Australia, and negotiated treaties. The division between Philippines and Australia was so marked that there was no common citizenship: one was either an Philippine citizen or a Australian citizen, never both. This also meant that there were always separate Philippine and Australian passports, never a common one. Economy Philippines-Australia prides in having the world's third-largest economy and fifth highest per capita income, under a market economy. In the Philippines, technological change projects rapidly accelerated industrialization and urbanization. Despite being the world leader in exporting rice, the Philippines primarily places emphasis in services and manufacturing, while Australia places emphasis on exporting commodities rather than manufactured goods. Both Philippines and Australia, after the unification, specialises in manufacturing electronics and synthetic rubber. Geography Territorial Evolution As a result of being the victors of World War III, Philippines and Australia occupied multiple territories, with the Philippines sector occupying a portion of Indonesia and annexing Taiwan, Palau, and the Spratly Islands, while Australia occupied the other portion of Indonesia and annexing East Timor and most of Papua New Guinea. Because Philippines and Australia helped liberate the war-torn countries that Chinese forces have invaded, the two countries agreed to a joint occupation of Southeast Asia (Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei). Greater Philippines-Australia '''Greater Philippines-Australia, fully styled the Greater Asian-Pacific Commonwealth of Philippines-Australia, is the official state name of the political entity that Philippine-Australian leaders planned to establish in Asia and Oceania after World War III. This Philippine-Australian Empire was expected to assimilate practically all of Southeast Asia and parts of Oceania into a greatly expanded country. Demographics The vast majority of the population in Philippines-Australia consisted of Indonesians, followed by the Filipinos and Australians themselves. More than half the Filipino population of Philippines-Australia live in Luzon, with a small percentage of Filipinos residing in urban areas in Australia. Health Philippines-Australia's total expenditure is around 10.4% of GDP. The individual republics under Philippines-Australia manage hospitals and attached outpatient services. Education Philippines-Australia has a functional literacy rate of 98.2%. Military The military force of Philippines-Australia is composed of the common army, the separate national military forces, namely the Philippines' Armed Forces, which consists of the Philippine Air Force, the Philippine Army, and the Philippine Navy, and Australia's Defense Force, which is comprised of the Royal Australian Navy, the Australian Army and the Royal Australian Air Force.Category:Countries